General Blog

The second N.Z. Winemaker of the Year for the Australian-based ‘Gourmet Traveller Wine’ industry journal was announced last night at an awards dinner at Gusto at the Grand at SkyCity in Auckland in conjunction with sponsor Vintec. The award winner was......read more

Favourites of 2018 from the Wine2Trade Portfolio

Monday 24 December 2018

The Wine2Trade wines are not eligible for my ‘Winery of the Year’ award, so in some way of compensation, I have my annual selection of ‘Favourites from the Wine2Trade Portfolio’. Here, it’s about which wines from each of the wineries that appealed on a personal... ...read more

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines is the 27th iteration of this dependable reference book. It comes out just before Christmas, and makes an ideal stocking-filler for almost all wine drinkers who are interested in New Zealand wine......read more

Pegasus Bay 2018 Mail Order Tasting

Thursday 6 December 2018

It is a sign of the work ethic of the Donaldson family of Pegasus Bay conduct their mail order tastings, especially considering their success in the marketplace. The family appreciate their loyal clientele throughout the country, some of whom have been purchasing......read more

Raymond Chan Wine Reviews ‘Winery of the Year’ 2018 – Greystone Wines

Wednesday 5 December 2018

For 2018, the Raymond Chan Wine Reviews ‘Winery of the Year’ is awarded to Greystone Wines in Omihi, North Canterbury. Greystone Wines has always figured among the contenders for this award from the very start in when I instituted it in 2011......read more

The ’27 Seconds’ label was created by Pete and his wife Alanna Chapman in North Canterbury as their response to alleviating human trafficking into slavery. Every 27 seconds, somewhere in the world, a person is sold into slavery. Most people believe slavery was a past issue......read more

Book Review- The Wines of New Zealand, By Rebecca Gibb MW

Tuesday 20 November 2018

Rebecca Gibb MW has written ‘The Wines of New Zealand’ and I find it one of the best overviews of the New Zealand wine industry, capturing the convoluted past history, present state of play, and the issues that lie ahead in the future. Just over 300 pages long......read more

Budburst Natural Wine Festival 2018 – A Photo Exposé

Sunday 11 November 2018

The Budburst Natural Wine Festival 2018, held at The Boatshed and The Rowing Club on Wellington’s waterfront appeared to be a wonderful success. This is the second time this event has been held, the first in 2016. Elissa Jordan was the event manager......read more

Anim Tasmania Riesling 2018 by Max Marriott

Monday 5 November 2018

Some of the best and most interesting Rieslings from New Zealand I have ever tasted came under the Auburn Central Otago label, the wines made by Max Marriott. First made in 2009, Max and his partners set out to make sub-regionally expressive Rieslings......read more

New Zealand Wine of the Year Awards 2018 – Top Trophies

Saturday 3 November 2018

The top trophy awards for the inaugural New Zealand Wine of the Year Awards were announced at the awards dinner held in Wellington tonight. The Champion Trophy went to the Maude Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017. This wine also took two other trophies......read more